Bowling game



Jan. 30, 1962 Filed Oct. 20, 1958 D. COHN 3,019,020

BOWLING GAME 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 f a INVENTOR. Da w 4 60km Mun/giddy, Da/ZLGZS & Marc/ 11 ATTOKNEYS Jan. 30, 1962 col-1 3,019,020

BOWLING GAME Filed Oct. 20, 1958 2 Sheets$heet 2 mn g INVENTOR. .94 w (Z(0/7/2 Mun/z ,LMd u, Dmu'eZs 5 March ATTORNEYS 3,019,020 BOWLING GAMEDavid Cohn, 123 Coleridge St., Brooklyn, N.Y. Filed Oct. 20, 1958, Ser.No. 768,278 4 Claims. (Cl. 273-44) This invention relates to gamedevices, and more particularly to a bowling game intended to be playedon a large flat surface, such as the fioor surface of a room or thelike.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved toybowling game which is especially interesting and calculated to arousethe enthusiasm of youngsters and other persons playing it.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improvedbowling game wherein the pins may be especially quickly set up andretained in position on a base plate, and wherein the said pins whenstruck by the ball will be automatically removed from the base plate topositions at least partially out of the way of subsequent balls.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a toy bowling gameas above set forth, wherein the pins are'at all times held captive, bothwhen set up and after being struck and wherein after the pins have beenstruck they are automatically removed from the base plate on which therest, and may be later quickly simultaneously replaced thereon by but asingle simple movement or operation on the part of the player.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an improved toybowling game in accordance with the foregoing, which is constituted tothe greatest possible extent as a unitary device or assemblage whilestill retaining the feature of having separate playing balls, as inregular bowling equipment.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a toy bowling gameas outlined above, wherein the balls after being putinto play andstriking'the pins, are collected and held captive in a novel receptacle,facilitating their reuse and further simplifying and making convenientthe playing of the game.

Features of the invention include the provision of a novel toy bowlinggame as characterized, which is competitive in its nature, requires anappreciable amount of skill to play well, is easy to play and to score,and may be played virtually anywhere, indoors and also outdoors.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved toybowling game having the above advantages and which is neverthelesssimple in its construction, inexpensive to produce, and durable andpractical whereby it will withstand appreciable hard usage withoutfailure.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings accompanying this specification, similar characters ofreference are used where possible to indicate like components throughoutthe several views, in which: 7

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the improved bowling game, with thebowling pins set in place on the baseplate.

FIG. 2 is a view like FIG. 1 but showing the pins as being automaticallyretracted or removed from the base plate.

FIG. 3 is a vertical, axial sectional view of one of the bowling pins asprovided by the invention.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the bowling game, and a view partlyin side elevation and partly in vertical section of a novel receptaclefor use in playing the game, positioned to receive and hold captive thebowling balls after they have been put into play.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the toy bowling game.

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view of the upper portion of the game,taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

'ice

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, the improved bowling game of theinvention comprises a thin, flat base plate 10 having an extensive uppersurface, said base plate being constituted of magnetic sheet metal suchas sheet steel, and being preferably provided with a pair of upstandingflanges 11 along its opposite side edges.

In conjunction with the base plate 10 and constituting therewith anenclosure which is open at the front and back there is provided aninverted U-shaped frame 13 formed preferably from a relatively widestrip of sheet metal, said frame having upright members 14 secured tothe side flanges 11 of the base plate 10 at the rear portions thereof.The inverted frame 13 has a flat cross member 16 which is disposed abovethe rear portion of the base plate 10, in spaced relation therewith Forstrengthening purposes the uprights 14 and the cross member 16 of theframe 13 are preferably provided with flanges 17 and 18, as shown. Itwill be understood that the above described, construction embracing thebase plate 10 and the inverted U-shaped frame 13 constitutes anenclosure which is open at both the front and the rear, as clearly seenin FIGS. 1 and 2.

In accordance with the present invention, novel bowling pins 20 areprovided, FIGS. 1-3 so arranged that they are attracted to the magneticbase plate 10 and firmly supported thereon in upright positions as shownin FIG. 1. The support of the bowling pins 20 is not dependent on theirbeing placed at certain particular locations on the base plate 10 butinstead the said pins will be supported in an upright position at anylocation on the base plate, Where they are placed. I

Referring to FIG. 3, this is accomplished by the pro-. vision ofpermanent magnets 22, constituting the base portions of the bowling pins20. Preferably, as illustrated herein, the bowling pins 20 are molded ofa plastic material, in the form of hollow bodies having bulbous bodyportions 24, reduced neck portions 25 and bulbous tip portions 26constituting the upper extremities of the pin. At their lower portions,the pins 20 may have transverse bottom walls 27 provided each with acentral perforation, and the permanent magnets 22 may have upstandingprotuberances 28 adapted to extend into the apertures of the bottomWalls 27 for positioning purposes and to aid in the retention of thepermanent magnets on the pin body portion. In effecting such retentionany suitable adhesive may be employed, or other means, as will bereadily understood.

By the provision of the novel bowling pins 20 having light, hollowplastic bodies and relatively heavy permanent magnet base portions 22the pins will be firmly held in upright positions on the base plate 10when properly placed thereon. However, should the bowling pins be struckor jarred appreciably, they will be readily dislodged from the baseplate 10, either falling over or leaving the base plate entirely.

Further, in accordance with this invention, novel means are provided bywhich the bowling pins 20 after having been struck by a bowling ball,are lifted entirely from the base plate 10 automatically, so as to beremoved at least to a great extent from the field of play. The bowlingpins 20 may be automatically lifted upward after being struck andsuspended above the base plate 10 to completely clear subsequent bowlingballs, or they may be lifted a lesser distance so as to enable only thelower portions thereof to be disposed in the path of subsequent balls.

In accomplishing such automatic removal of the bowling pins 20 from thebase plate 10 the pins are provided with elastic strings 30, inaccordance with the invention, such strings being secured to the bulboustip portions 26 of the bowling pins and being also fastened to atriangularshaped reset part or plate 32 which is mounted above the baseplate It) so as to be vertically movable with respect thereto betweenpredetermined limits. As shown, ten of the bowling pins 20 are suspendedfrom the reset plate 32 so as to form the usual well-known trianglecomposed of four pins on a side. Each of the elastic strings 3t? is soconstituted and has a length that when slightly extended, as byexperiencing the weight of one of the bowling pins 20, it will suspendsuch pin above the base plate in spaced relation thereto. The spacingthus established between ths suspended bowling pin and base plate 10 maybe greater than the diameter of the bowling balls; or it may be slightlyless than the diameter of a bowling ball, in which case any suspendedpins which are in the path of a ball will be struck by the same and mayswing about its suspension while at the same time offering relativelylittle resistance to continued movement of the ball. Depending on thesize of the bowling pins and the spacing between them, such a suspendedstruck pin when swinging may strike adjoining pins which are still heldfirmly by the base plate. Or, they may clear such adjoining pins,thereby to make more difiicult the securing of higher scores after aninitial hit by a ball.

The above organization, as provided by the invention, results in anumber of desirable features and advantages. For one thing it enablesall of the bowling pins after they have been struck to be quickly andeasily, accurately re placed on the base plate 10 by a single simpleoperation on the part of the player, without requiring any skill or carewhatsoever. This will be brought out in detail further below. Also, bythe provision of the elastic strings 30, the bowlingpins 20 when struckmay be automatically removed and lifted from the base plate 10, so as tobe out of the way of subsequent balls which are put into play.Additionally, the pins 20 will at all times be held captive, and are notloose so that they will be prevented from becoming misplaced or lost, orgetting underfoot where they may cause an accident to a person walkingand unaware of their presence.

By the present invention the reset plate 32 is movably mounted on theinverted U-shape frame 13 and a guide means is provided through whichthe elastic strings pass, thereby to facilitate the accurate positioningof the bowling pins on the base plate 10 at the time that the pins arebeing reset. The said guide means comprises a triangular guide plate 34having generally the same outline and size as the reset plate 32. Theguide plate 34 is disposed below the reset plate 32 and connected to thelatter by the plurality of plunger rods 35 and helical compressionsprings 36 carried by said rods. The springs 36 are disposed between thereset and guide plates and at their ends they may engage the saidplates, thereby to yieldably hold the reset plate in a raised position.The plunger rods 35 extend downward through suitably spaced openings inthe guide plate 34, as shown in FIG. 6, and have abutment shoulders 37on their lower extremities to hold the rods captive in the guide plate.Preferably, as shown in FIG. 6, the reset plate includes a sub-plate 39w ich is disposed under the reset plate in closely spaced relationthereto and fastened by means of suitable rivets 40. The plunger rods 35have heads 42 which are held captive between the reset plate 32 and thesub-plate 39, as shown. Also, the elastic cords 30 may advantageouslypass through the sub-plate 39 and be secured between the latter and thereset plate 32, as by the use of suitable knots or the like. The guideplate 34 has a plurality of openings and eyelets or anti-abrasionbushings 44 disposed in said openings, through which the elastic strings30 pass. Several of such eyelets 44 may be utilized to secure the guideplate 34 to the cross member 16 of the inverted U-shaped frame 13, asseen in FIG. 6.

It will now be understood that by the above organization the bowlingpins 20 may be suspended above the base plate 10 with their upperextremities in engagement with the lower surface of the guide plate 34,as seen in 4 FIG. 2. When the pins are so suspended they may be spacedfrom the base plate 10 either by a distance greater than the diameter ofa bowling ball or else a distance slightly less than such a diameter.

In accordance with the invention, when it is desired to reset the entiregroup of bowling pins 23, it is merely necessary for the operator orplayer to depress the reset plate 32. This is made possible by themovable mountingof such plate as provided by the plunger rods 35, and bythe resiliency of the springs 36 which yield in response to downwardpressure on the reset plate. The bowling pins 20 will all besimultaneously lowered until the permanent magnet base portions 22thereof come into engagement with the base plate 10. The said magnetswill then attract the base plate, pulling the bowling pins downward andcausing them to be firmly held and supported in an upright position onthe base. Upon release of pressure on the reset plate 32 the latter willagain shift upward until halted by engagement of the abutment shoulders37 on the plunger pins 35 with the underside of the guide plate 34.However, since the permanent magnets 32 are much stronger than theelastic strings, the bowling pins 20 will remain in their properpositions on the base plate 10, and the elastic strings will stretch asthe reset plate 32 is released.

The game is now in readiness for the players to put the bowling balls inaction. When a ball is thrown and strikes one or several bowling pins 20the said pins will be dislodged from the base plate 10 and due to thecontinuing upward influence exerted by the elastic strings 30, thestruck pins will be raised from the surface of the base plate and heldsuspended immediately below the guide plate 34, as shown in FIG. 2. Whenall of the pins have been struck, or when the player has thrown hisallotted number of balls the task of resetting the bowling pins may beeasily accomplished, by merely depressing the reset plate 32 as will benow understood.

Also, in accordance with the present invention a novel receptacle 46 isprovided to receive the balls which have been put into play after theypass through the enclosure constituted of the base plate 10 and theinverted U-shaped frame 13. Referring to FIG. 4, the receptacle 46 maybe constituted as a cardboard box having a size suitable for receivingand storing the game assemblage shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The box 46 may have an opening '47 in its top, large enough to pass aplayers hand when he is holding one of the bowling balls. Also, the box46 has an open front, and is provided with inturned, angularly extendedflaps 49 and 50 which are so arranged that they will hold captive thebowling balls 51 which are made to enter the receptacle 46. Such ballsmay then be conveniently removed by the players, for subsequent use. Bythe provision of the receptacle 46 the bowling balls 51 are preventedfrom straying or becoming lost, or getting underfoot whereby may causean accident.

As shown in FIG. 5, the reset plate 32 may be provided with suitableindicia as in the form of a scoring table or chart 54 adapted to bemarked by chalk or suitable equivalent means, whereby the players maykeep track of their individual scores, just as with regular bowlinggames.

It will be understood that there has thus been provided in accordancewith the invention a novel and improved toy bowling game having manyfeatures by which the interest and enthusiasm of the players will bearoused and held. The game is competitive in its nature, involves acertain amount of skill to play well, and is easy to play and to score.At all times the bowling pins will be held captive, and may be easilyand quickly reset by a single operation on the part of a player, withoutrequiring the usual care in place the pins exactly in the requiredtriangular configuration. The bowling pins will be kept from straying orbecoming lost, and will not be likely to get underfoot. The bowling gameis constituted to the greatest possible extent as the unitary device. Itis durable and practical, relatively simple and inexpensive tomanufacture, and may be played anywhere, either indoors or outdoors.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of the claims,and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim:

1. A toy bowling game comprising a flat substantially rectangular shapedmetal base plate of magnetic material having an extensive upper surface,said base plate having upstanding flanges integral with the oppositeside edges thereof, an inverted U-shaped frame extending over said baseplate in spaced relation thereto and having the lower opposite edgesthereof secured to the flanges on said base plate, a substantiallytriangular shaped guide plate having relatively spaced openings thereinmounted on said U-shaped frame, a supporting member positioned abovesaid guide plate and spaced therefrom, said supporting member beingmounted for movement relative to said base plate, spring meanspositioned intermediate of said guide plate and said supporting memberfor normally urging said supporting member away from said base plate, abowling pin carried by said supporting member and having a permanentmagnet provided with north and south poles disposed at its base toenable the pin to be attracted to and supported on said base plate inupright position, an elastic string secured to the bowling pin and tosaid supporting member to position the bowling pin whereby the latter islowered at a predetermined location on said base plate, said stringhaving a length and strength such that when only slightly extended itwill maintain the bowling pin raised above and out of contact with saidbase plate and when more fully extended will permit the magnet on thebowling pin to contact the metal base plate, said pin being supportedthereby in upright position on said base plate when said supportingmember is depressed toward said base plate and said magnet resistingremoval of the pin from the base plate by said string when saidsupporting member is returned to its original position, and said springmeans urging said supporting member to automatically return and retainit in normal spaced relation above said base plate.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1, in which the said supportingmember has a horizontally extending reset part mounted thereon, and inwhich there is means for mounting said reset part on said supportingmember for vertical movement with respect to said base whereby the resetpart when depressed lowers the bowling pin onto the base to enable themagnetic attraction of the said permanent magnet to secure and hold thepin on said base, said reset part when raised after being so depressedcausing the elastic string to be elongated and stretched.

3. The invention as defined in claim 2, in which there is a spring meansyieldably holding the said reset part in a raised position wherein theelastic string is appreciably stretched at the time that the pin isbeing held to the base by the magnet.

4. A toy bowling game comprising a flat substantially rectangular shapedmetal base plate having an extensive upper surface, said base platehaving upstanding flanges integral with the opposite side edges thereof,an inverted U-shaped frame extending over said base plate in spacedrelation thereto and having the lower opposite edges thereof inengagement with said flanges and secured to said base plate, asubstantially triangular shaped guide plate having relatively spacedopenings therein mounted on said U-shaped frame, a supporting memberpositioned above said guide plate and spaced therefrom, said supportingmember being mounted for movement relative to said base plate, springmeans positioned intermediate of said guide plate and said supportingmember for nor mally urging said supporting member away from said baseplate, a bowling pin carried by said supporting member, magnetic meansfor attracting the pin to the base plate to enable the pin to besupported on said base plate in upright position, an elastic stringsecured to the bowling pin and to said supporting member to position thebowling pin whereby the latter is lowered at a predetermined location onsaid base plate, said string having a length and strength such that whenonly slightly extended it will maintain the bowling pin raised above andout of contact with said base plate and when more fully extended willpermit the base of the bowling pin to contact the metal base plate, saidpin being supported thereby in upright position on said base plate whensaid supporting member is depressed toward said base plate and saidmagnetic means resisting removal of the pin from the base plate by saidstring when said supporting member is returned to its original position,and said spring means urging said supporting member to automaticallyreturn and retain it in normal spaced relation above said base plate.

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